They warned us about culture shock before we got here. Then again when we got here. We knew we’d go through the phases of adjusting to a new culture. Now that I’ve been in Spain for over two months there are some things that have started to rub off on my. My host mom sometimes jokes with me, saying I’m going to go home a Spaniard. It got me thinking about the cultural differences between Spain and the United States. In order to help explain these differences to…

Get to know Sabrina, CEA study abroad Barcelona student services advisor: The best part of Barcelona is….: Its “live life to the fullest” mentality, its open minded and accepting people, and its love for being outdoors. Living in Barcelona has definitely taught me how to appreciate diverse perspectives on life, as well as eat healthy and be physically active all year round. Do I need to learn Catalan to survive here?: You do not need to learn Catalan to survive but you do need to learn it…

Sundays in Seville are like no place I have ever been. Every shop, store and business is closed. The only places open are cafes, restaurants and bars and people are everywhere. Sundays are a day for people to get outside, roam the streets and have long conversations with friends over tapas, beer and wine. Last Sunday I had a general plan to stay in, do homework and study. Then I looked outside. It was a perfectly cloudless day, the sun shone brightly as a cool breeze blew through…

It has been five months since I’ve left Madrid and not a day goes by where I don’t wish I was there. The sights, sounds, and smells…make Madrid, Madrid. The Futbol Whether you’re a FC Barcelona fan (which I am), a Real Madrid fan, or you didn’t even know that soccer was called “futbol” in Spain, the city is vivid in its passion for the sport. With two teams, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, you can find yourself screaming along with the locals every time a GOOOOOOOL is…

Studying and living in Granada has been the most mind-opening experience in my life. I’ve gotten to know so many amazing people. One of the ways CEA has helped me branch out is through providing volunteering opportunities. There are several opportunities to give back to the Granada community, such as meet with the homeless, spend time with the elderly, volunteer in a hospital, or, what I chose to do, volunteer in a bilingual school. I volunteer in a middle school music class. Although the school is bilingual, everything turns…

I’ve always been a picky eater. When I was getting ready to study abroad I was really worried about the food. I had heard that since Granada is so close to the Mediterranean Sea, seafood is more common than in Colorado. Of all the foods I don’t like, seafood is my least favorite, so I was a little worried that I would come to Granada and hate all the typical food here. Before leaving the United States, I decided to challenge myself to have an open mind during…

I don’t know why I chose Seville. It sounds sad now, but I cannot remember how I landed on this city. What made me say, “I am going to study abroad in Seville?” It always seemed an obvious choice, clearly I was going to Spain and obviously Seville would be the right city. Forget the fact that I knew nothing about Andalucía and that I had never been to Spain before. None of that mattered to me; I was determined to live and study in this ancient, beautiful,…

I always used to think the 4th of July was such an incredible day. Whether I was sitting on the sands of Miami Beach or along Navy Pier in Chicago, watching the exploding colors in the sky always made me forget about everything else in the world. There is a beautiful community built in those minutes between all those in attendance, no matter where they might be in the nation. However, the day is about so much more than fireworks. It’s a celebration of American Independence. It’s a…

A CEA study abroad excursion starts and ends with a group of tired students packed onto a bus. On the way to our destination, we have only just woken up and on the way back, we are exhausted from a long day of exploring. While the drive may seem long, it is what happens during the day that makes it all worth it. To start the adventure, we went to González Byass winery in Jerez, a city in southern Spain. Our group of CEA students spent the morning…